Agricultural Cuba 24 



CUBA'S COFFEE INDUSTRY 



The growing of coffee offers the home-seeker 

 of moderate means many inducements. Coffee 

 is most successfully grown on rolling lands, or 

 hill sides, where the air is pure and shade grateful, 

 the water fine and drainage perfect. 



These conditions are found to perfection on 

 the north coast of the Island. 



The culture of coffee is not difficult, and by 

 conforming to a few well known requirements, 

 the industry can be carried on at small expense 

 and with a limited amount of labor. 



The coffee plant is an evergreen shrub, with a 

 soft gray bark and dark green laurel-like leaves. 

 The bloom is white pettled star shaped, with 

 yellow centers, and the berries are bright red, 

 growing close to the stem, appearing much as do 

 our cherries in the United States. The bloom 

 is most fragrant. 



The shrub is seldom permitted to grow more 

 than ten feet in height and begins to bear three 

 or four years from planting. The berries ripen 

 in about six months from time of blooming and 

 each berry contains two seeds or coffee beans — 

 the surrounding pulp shriveling up as the time 

 approaches for picking. The berries are dried on 

 floors or cloths and are ready for market. 



The unpolished, unselected beans, are worth 

 about ^20.00 per hundred weight, and there is 

 a continual demand at about this price, owing to 

 the fact that Cuban coffee is particularly fine in 

 quality. 



In the local market, roasted coffee sells for 

 from 40c to 50c per pound. 



